


A Long Year Waiting

by tnh1722



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, Clary and Magnus are Adoptive Siblings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Forced Separation, Independence, Lightwood Siblings Feels, Luke and Jocelyn are Great Parents, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:15:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24204250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tnh1722/pseuds/tnh1722
Summary: After taking the blame for an underage party, Alec is victim to the drastic measures of his parents to uphold their precious image. During the separation from his friends and family, Alec has grown in more ways than one. He takes matters into his own hands to provide a good future for himself and his siblings.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Jocelyn Fairchild/Luke Garroway, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Maryse Lightwood/Robert Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 4
Kudos: 171





	A Long Year Waiting

“Mr. Lightwood, we’d like you to come with us down to the station to answer some questions,” the police officer said sternly as he looked into the disaster of a house behind the 17 year old boy who answered the door. Plastic cups and beer cans were scattered all over the floor while the house was eerily quiet. 

Alec shifted on his feet and agreed to go with the officers. He grabbed the extra house key hanging by the front door and walked out without hesitation, locking the door and shutting off the light behind him. He got into the back of the cop car and tried to keep himself from having a panic attack the entire drive to the police station. 

When they got to the interrogation room, Alec glanced into the hallway and saw Magnus and Clary’s father looking at him with a confused look on his face. Luke had pushed his way into the room and addressed the officer and Alec. “Gentlemen, what’s going on here?” 

“Kid threw a rager while his parents were out of town. Just need to ask him a few things,” the officer replied sternly. He turned his back to Luke and started fingerprinting Alec by grabbing one of Alec’s hands roughly. 

“Did you tell him what was going on or what you are doing?” Luke asked, his tone frustrated and confused at the same time. 

The officer turned around and rolled his eyes. “Look, Garroway, the kid agreed to come with us so I can handle it alright.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think so, Valentine. I’ll take it from here,” Luke said as he pushed the other officer out of the room. He shut the door and turned off the security camera as well. “Alec, what is going on? You would never throw a party, not even for Magnus. I know you. Who are you covering for?”

Alec looked up at Luke, his eyes filled with anxiety and shock. “Please, Luke, you can’t get them in trouble. Mom and Dad already are horrible, it will be even worse if they find out!” 

“Hey, hey, calm down. Find out what?” Luke asked more calmly as he sat down in front of Alec. 

Alec took some deep breaths and wrung his hands together. “It, um...I told them not to, but they didn’t listen. They said it would be fine…I...I shouldn’t…”

“Alec, tell me who they is. I know it’s obviously not you and Magnus since he is out of town with Jocelyn this weekend on their mother-son trip so please just be honest with me.”

“My sister and Simon and Jace...and, um…and…” Alec said quietly until his voice trailed off. 

Luke sighed and sat back with his arms crossed. “Alec, you can tell me if it was Clary.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want them to get in trouble. I told them it was a bad idea and that it was too many people. Well, they shouldn’t be drinking anyway, but I said that too and-”

“Alec! Alec, please try to stay calm. I know you, I know you are a good kid. All you Lightwoods are, but you have always been the peacekeeper and the caretaker. I don’t want to see you take the fall for this whole thing because you feel the need to protect my kid,” Luke explained, his voice more fatherly than detective at the moment. 

“It’s not just Clary. I’m trying to protect all of them. Mom is all over Izzy lately since we are talking to colleges and making comments about her clothes and friends. They don’t like that Izzy spends so much time with Simon because he is “not good enough” for Lightwoods. Jace is the only one doing right by dating Clary, but he still makes bad choices. Izzy is already getting offers from Stanford for scholarships. Simon’s family is already struggling with losing his dad. I can’t...it will be better if it’s me,” Alec rattled off, his breathing quickening the longer he spoke. 

Luke sighed again deeper and leaned closer to Alec to place his hand on Alec’s arm. “You have always been a protector and I appreciate that about you so much. You love my son and treat him with respect. You look out for my daughter even though she drives you insane sometimes,” Luke paused for a second as Alec’s lips flinched into a small smile as his comment. 

“You are raising your siblings and taking care of that house more often than any teenager should have to. I also know that you are getting offers from Stanford and other Ivy League schools because Magnus won’t shut up about how incredible his boyfriend is,” he continued with a smile. 

Luke squeezed Alec’s arm tight and then sat back again. “With all that being said, I know that you will never change your mind either. I have to call your parents, otherwise my Captain will lose it on me. I’m not giving you any sort of legal ticket and this will not go on your record. You do have to stay here until your parents pick you up though. That’s mandatory.” 

Alec nodded and thanked Luke quietly before Luke led him out to sit in his office. Luke called Maryse Lightwood and braced himself for her wrath. Within two hours, the Lightwoods had arrived and left just as quickly. Luke watched as Maryse dragged Alec out by the arm without so much of a word to anyone else. 

Alec was on edge the entire drive back to their house. Neither of his parents had said a word to him since they arrived at the police station. The tension was palpable in the car, but he could see his mother’s jaw drawn tight. They pulled into the driveway and Maryse instructed him to stay in the car with his father. 

Alec was confused and tried to ask why, but both of his parents told him to be quiet and sit in the car. He complied and sat quietly without saying anything else. After ten minutes, Maryse came back out of the house with two suitcases and a confused Izzy and Jace asking questions. She told them to go back inside and wait for them to get back home later tonight. 

“Dad, why does Mom have suitcases? Where are we going?” Alec asked nervously. 

Robert looked back at Alec through the rearview mirror. “You are going to boarding school for the rest of your junior year and then we will decide if you are ready to be here again for your senior year. You disobeyed us and ruined your chances at any good college. You dishonored the Lightwood name and your mother and I will not stand for it.” 

Alec felt his entire body go cold. “Boarding school? What...it’s the middle of the night! How did you even get me in anywhere? This is crazy!”

Maryse was back in the car at this point and had decided to take over the conversation. “No, Alec, what is crazy is you allowing this party to be thrown? We left you in charge for one weekend and you cannot even do that. You’ve left us with no choice. You will be going to Idris Academy where you should have been going from the beginning. Hodge is the Headmaster and he will keep you in line,” she declared.

Alec knew better than to fight his mother when she used that tone of finality in her statements. He has rolled with her punches long enough to know he will not win this battle. “Can I at least have my phone to call everyone and say goodbye?” 

“No phones allowed at Idris. You can communicate by letters. It will do you some good to focus on other things besides that boyfriend,” Robert answered sternly. “Maybe it will give you time to grow out of this phase too,” he added under his breath but loud enough to be heard. 

Alec felt tears well up in his eyes, but he did not let his parents see them fall. The last thing he needed was yet another lesson on emotional control and “being a man” and all of their other judgmental bullshit. He rested his head on the car window and started thinking about what he would say in his letters to everyone back home that actually cares about him. 

\---

Luke felt his heart break in half when he came downstairs the next morning to find a distraught Jace Lightwood being comforted by Clary and an absolutely inconsolable Izzy Lightwood leaning against Simon while trying to explain the situation to Jocelyn and Magnus. Luke could see the tears built up in Magnus’ eyes that he was not letting fall, but he knew to brace himself for this conversation. 

“Not so good morning,” Jocelyn said with a sad voice as she handed Izzy tissues. 

“Hi, what’s going on, kids? I take it this is about last night,” Luke said softly as he sat beside Magnus and took Magnus’ hand in his own. 

Izzy tried to start talking again, but she couldn’t really put any words together. Jace took over for her even though he wasn’t fairing much better. “Maryse came home last night and went straight to Alec’s room with two empty suitcases. She started packing up his things and told us to stay home until her and Robert got back. We asked where they were going and she wouldn’t tell us. We tried to text Alec, but his phone was in his bedroom.”

Luke had flinched at hearing Jace refer to his parents with their full names and flinched again when he said Maryse packed up Alec’s room. “It’s alright, Jace. Take your time,” he offered when he saw Jace looking to Clary for reassurance. 

Jace nodded and took a deep breath. “They got home really late, but Izzy and I stayed up waiting for them to come back. When they got home, they said that A-Alec...h-he...sorry…”

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I know this is hard for all of you,” Jocelyn said to Jace as he struggled to find the words. 

Clary leaned over to whisper something which Jace nodded in response. “Maryse and Robert sent Alec to Idris Academy for the rest of the year. That boarding school up north that is apparently a mini prison since Alec can’t have his phone or have visitors. They said he can write letters and will be back next summer when they think about letting him back home for senior year. They said he won’t even be home for Christmas,” Clary explained as she got a little choked up herself. 

Luke felt his eyes grow wide as he directed his expression towards Jocelyn, not sure if he could look at any of the kids without crying himself. “I am so sorry. I can’t imagine how all of you are feeling. I can talk to Maryse-”

“No! No, please, don’t talk to our mom. We are not supposed to be here! No one is supposed to know…” Izzy cried out as Simon pulled her closer. “We snuck out, please don’t call her. We just needed to talk to someone that would understand...that would care…”

Jocelyn and Luke shared a glance full of anger directed at the Lightwood parents yet grieving for the kids. “Okay, I’m sorry, Izzy. I won’t call, but you know that you and Jace both are always welcome in this house. We will always be here as a safe place. I’m not above withholding information from your parents, but I do want to try and do whatever I can to help.” 

“Thank you, Luke. Seriously, without Alec, we don’t really have anyone to look out for us,” Jace said quietly. His statement just dug Luke’s pit of anger deeper. 

Jocelyn then turned towards Magnus who had been quiet since the Lightwoods walked through their door. “Magnus, honey, tell me what you are feeling.”

Magnus looked up at his adoptive mother and felt his tears that he tried so hard to keep at bay start to fall. “How could they do that to their child? How can they be so selfish? Alec doesn’t deserve that. Alec is the parent of that family and does everything for them. They know this wasn’t his fault. D-Don’t they c-care how much they are h-hurting all of us?” Magnus replied quietly while staring straight down at the floor. 

The room was silent as many of them hadn’t even seen Magnus cry before. Jocelyn got up and put her arms around Magnus who cried into her shoulder. “I agree with everything you said, honey, but they are his parents. Until he turns 18, Maryse holds all the power.” 

“I won’t get to see him for seven months. I can’t talk to him or even text him. All I get is to write him letters,” Magnus said as he wiped the tears off his cheeks and got off the couch to start pacing the living room as his sadness morphed into anger. “Our two year anniversary is next month! We are supposed to go to our first prom this year! I love him! This isn’t fair!” 

Before anyone can respond, Izzy got off the couch and wrapped her arms around Magnus. “Alec loves you. He’s going to be okay. He’s Alec, he can handle anything,” she said matter-of-factly. 

\---

No one was used to Alec being gone, but it had gotten to a point where it was less tears and more excited to see him come home in a few months. Christmas was incredibly difficult for all of them, but Alec sent home long letters with small handmade gifts to his siblings, his boyfriend, and his friends making it a little easier to get through the holidays.

Magnus and Alec had sent each other letters every day. Jocelyn and Luke sent Alec a book of stamps every week since parents had to supply money for students to shop at the school store for them and the Lightwood parents did not put a dime in Alec’s account. He sent letters to his siblings nearly every day as well along with a couple a week for Clary and Simon to get honest check ins on everybody. 

Alec had talked about making a few friends. One named Lydia that he studied with and bonded with over high education standards in their families. He also met a boy named Andrew but went by his last name Underhill. Alec and Underhill worked out together and Underhill had convinced Alec to join the lacrosse team since Alec had been missing basketball at home.

Alec had fallen in love with lacrosse at Idris and told Jace about his new workout regimens as he would be the only one truly interested. He had grown a little in early high school but remained lanky and thin as always. Alec had told Jace that he felt taller and stronger now from only having studying or working out as an option and was considering playing football and lacrosse at Alicante their senior year. Jace was excited and couldn’t wait to see the strides Alec had made when he got home.

By the time prom came around, Magnus had been convinced to go with his friends even though the idea of going without Alec made his chest hurt. The night was still fun and everyone went to Walgreens the next day to print out pictures of the group to send to Alec. Magnus had received a long letter back about how Alec was going to make it up to him and how beautiful Magnus looked in his tuxedo. 

Another month had passed and it was finally the last day of the school year for Idris Academy. School had been over for Alicante High for the past week so the group was dying for Alec to come back. Jace and Izzy begged Maryse to let them be the ones to pick up Alec, but Maryse had denied it every time. The group decided they would wait at Magnus’ house and Alec could drive over so the reunion wouldn’t be so uptight under Maryse’s eye. 

Jace, Clary, and Simon were helping Jocelyn make dinner while Magnus and Izzy paced the living room, both unable to sit still or calm down. Everyone had tried to ease them to no avail. Jace was using his task of making the salad to stop himself from having a breakdown, but the other two couldn’t seem to manage to do much more than pace. 

Izzy had given Alec’s phone to Magnus so he could go through their pictures when he wanted to, but hat meant they didn’t have a way of reaching Alec to know how close he was to home. Izzy and Magnus had both scolded each other when they realized that afternoon that Alec’s phone was on Magnus’ nightstand. 

Luke was about to handcuff both of them to the coffee table when he saw Alec’s Jeep pull into the driveway. All the eyes in the room snapped to the front door when the sound of a car door closing could be heard from the driveway. Luke opened the door before Alec could knock and was shocked to see a completely different kid. Alec was about 5’11” and 150 soaking wet when he left. Now, Luke was looking at a 6’3” man who was easily 185 pounds of muscle. 

“You look great, kid. Welcome home,” Luke said and pulled Alec into a hug. Alec returned the tight embrace but did not say a word. Luke could tell Alec was on the verge of tears just from being welcomed home rather than the cold interaction he most likely received from Maryse and Robert. Luke couldn’t help but take some of this on his shoulders since he was the one that called the Lightwoods so he wanted to be sure Alec knew he was welcome in his home. 

Luke motioned for him to walk into the living room where he expected Alec to get tackled by everyone. However, all motions stopped and jaws dropped at seeing Alec’s new appearance. “Holy crap, Alec got hot,” Simon muttered, breaking the silence causing Jocelyn and Clary to burst out laughing. 

Before any other reaction happened, Izzy sprinted across the room into Alec’s arms. He lifted her up off the floor as she cried into his shoulder. “I missed you so much, big brother.”

Alec kissed her forehead and set her back down. “I missed you too, Iz.” His voice was raspy as he tried to hold it together. She squeezed him again and let Jace join the hug. The siblings stood in the middle of the room for a few minutes while everyone let them have their moment. 

Alec looked up to see Magnus’ tear filled eyes staring back at him. “Mags…” Alec whispered out, seeming to break Magnus from his shocked state. 

“Alexander,” Magnus whimpered as they met each other halfway. They held each other and both cried while the others helped Jocelyn set the table, giving them privacy. “Simon’s right, you look incredible, darling.” 

“Thanks, baby,” Alec responded shyly as he noticed the room had cleared. He took the private moment to kiss Magnus, the thing he missed most while being away. “God, I love you so much.”

Magnus felt the tears come back at hearing those words in person after so many months. “I love you too, Alexander.” 

They held their embrace for a few more minutes until Magnus pulled them towards the dining room to eat with everyone. Alec then hugged Clary and Simon, thanking them for taking care of his siblings and Magnus while he was away. He also hugged Jocelyn and thanked her for all the stamps and care packages, promising to pay her back. Jocelyn waved it off saying it was money worth spending to see all of her kids stay happy clearly including the Lightwoods in that sentiment. 

They all ate and caught up, happy to finally be together again. Towards the end of the meal, Alec asked Luke if he knew much about court proceedings. “I can try my best to help. What’s on your mind?” Luke replied, just as confused as the rest of the table. 

“One of the friends I made at school, Lydia, let me meet her parents today before she left. They have been paying into a bank account that they set up for me because I tutored her all year in Spanish. I guess Lydia told them about my situation with my parents and were paying me a lot for each tutoring session. Way more than I ever imagined and I tried to tell them I couldn’t accept it,” Alec explained. 

“How much is a lot?” Jace asked purely out of curiosity. 

Alec ducked his head and blushed as he replied, “Apparently they have a lot of family money left specifically for Lydia’s education, like more than they would ever need and decided I was a worthy cause. They deposited $1,000 per session and I tutored her twice a week.”

Jaws dropped once again as Magnus did the math. “Darling, that’s over $50,000…” 

“I know, I tried to deny and tell them to take it back, but the bank account is in my name and I cannot access it until it is legally under my control which leads to my question for you, Luke.”

“Sure, kid, go ahead,” Luke said once he let the initial shock pass.

“How hard is it to emancipate three 16-17 year olds from their parents who would have access to million dollar trust funds once we are legally allowed to access our own money? I can use the $50,000 up front for court costs before we gain control of our trust funds from Grandma Lightwood. Lydia’s parents are lawyers and said we would need the help of the police and most likely child services so I thought you might be able to help us,” Alec asked bluntly and honestly in true Alec fashion. 

Izzy and Jace couldn’t believe what Alec was suggested while Magnus just looked on with pride. Luke and Jocelyn shared a look before Luke replied, “Alec, I know your parents haven’t been great over the years, but are you certain you want to do this?” 

Alec nodded and took Izzy’s hand into his own as she seemed at a loss for words. “I didn’t think my parents could ever get colder than when we were kids, but after Max died a couple years ago; that house is a living hell. I just want all of us to be happy,” Alec answered confidently. 

“I think that’s fair. We can start the process tomorrow then,” Luke answered matter-of-factly and shared a proud smile with Jocelyn. It was a silent agreement between both of them that they will always stand as impromptu parents to the Lightwood children, whether they needed it or not. 

\---

“I have to ask one last time, Mr. Lightwood. Are you certain this is what you want?” the judge asked him. He looked to Lydia's mother at the bench and she gave him a smile and a nod. She had decided to represent the Lightwood kids after hearing the full story from Alec. Lydia had invited Alec to their families house in Connecticut and Lydia’s parents had reacted similarly to Luke and Jocelyn when they heard everything the Lightwood parents had done before and after the passing of their youngest son. 

“I am 100% certain, your honor. I need for all three of us to not be afraid of living in our own house anymore,” Alec said, making most people in the room feel heartbroken. Maryse and Robert looked shocked from where they sat at the defendant’s table, representing themselves.

“And you understand that by emancipating yourself, you are accepting guardianship of your two younger siblings, Isabelle and Jonathan?” 

“Yes, your honor, I gladly accept that if it means that they are safe and loved,” Alec answered honestly. Lydia’s mother smiled from her seat knowing that Alec had won this case for himself. She knew from the moment she talked to him that he had enough personal drive to win this. 

The judge wrote down something into his notes and then addressed Alec again. “Mr. Lightwood, do you have a plan for shelter, basic needs, and education for yourself and your two siblings?”

“We plan to move in with Luke Garroway, a local police officer who has looked out for the three of us for the past two years, while we finish high school. All three of us are currently enrolled at Idris High. My sister and I plan on attending Stanford after graduation. My brother intends on going to college as well, but he is undecided on where at this time. I personally own my own vehicle and my brother owns his own vehicle as well. I will get us our car insurance and health insurance should I be granted the opportunity to care for myself and my siblings. All three of us have inheritance that was willed to us by our late grandmother that she wished for us to use on education and future plans. That will be our financial source while we continue and finish our education. After that, we all plan on entering the workforce and becoming independent, your honor,” Alec explained without a pause or a stumble. He had practiced that speech with Magnus nearly 100 times and knew he had done it perfectly. 

“Well, Mr. Lightwood, that sounds like a wonderful plan to me. I see no objections to separating yourself legally and becoming guardians of your siblings. Congratulations, young man, you’ve earned it,” the judge said as he struck his gavel and stood from his post to leave. 

Alec stepped over to Lydia’s mother as she reached out to hug him. He did not even spare a look at his own parents, uncertain of his own reaction if they looked distraught. It had been a struggle for him making the final decision to emancipate as he thought about his parents already experiencing the loss of one child. It took a long emotional talk with Jocelyn and Lydia's mother both to convince him that is not how parents treat their children ever, especially after losing one. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Branwell,” Alec said quietly as he hugged her. 

“Of course, Alec. I am so happy I could do this for you. Now, go see your family,” she responded, making Alec smile and his eyes fill with happy tears. 

Alec watched as Izzy and Jace ran straight towards him and held him in a bone-crushing hug. He found Magnus’ eyes over his brother’s shoulder and couldn’t help his teary smile when his boyfriend blew him a kiss. He had never felt so much relief and happiness in his life. 

\---Five Years Later---

Magnus squeezed Alec’s hand tightly before walking to meet Jocelyn on the dance floor for the mother-son dance. It had been highly debated in wedding planning before Magnus gave in to Alec’s demand that he get to dance with Jocelyn. The Lightwoods had come a long way since the emancipation and had grown immensely, but it’s not easy to accept your parents not attending your wedding. 

Little did Alec know, his family had been planning something for him. Jocelyn and Magnus danced for a minute before Izzy got up from her seat at the head table and offered her hand to Alec. Izzy laughed at his look of pure confusion before she grabbed his hand and dragged him out onto the dance floor. 

Alec looked over and saw Clary stepping in to take Jocelyn’s place. Jocelyn made her way over to Alec and kissed his cheek before walking back to her seat next to Luke. Simon’s voice came over the microphone as the song started to change to an acoustic recording of Hey Brother by Avicii. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to the dance floor as the grooms enjoy a dance with their sisters!” 

Alec was still in slight shock when Izzy put her hand on his cheek. “Are you still with us?” 

“Yeah...I just...I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Yeah, that was the plan,” Izzy replied with a laugh as she leaned in closer to Alec. He pulled her in so it was just a swaying hug rather than a dance. After another minute of dancing, Izzy whispered, “I’m so proud of you, Alec.”

“I couldn't have done it without you and Jace, Iz,” Alec responded with tears threatening his waterline as he thought about everything they had gone through. It had taken a some time for Izzy and Jace to forgive themselves and accept Alec's forgiveness of the party. They both had carried blame that the three had finally worked out together. The part they were still working on was not seeing their parents since that day in the courtroom. Graduations, engagements, promotions, and now marriages had happened in the time they had been divided as a family. Alec had thought today would be one of the hardest days without them so far, but as he danced with his sister, he realized he had been wrong. “I really thought today was going to be harder to process, but I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.” 

Izzy smiled and felt her own tears building up. “You deserve it. We all do. You did this for us. You made sure you got to have this, that we all got to have this.” 

Alec felt a tear fall down his cheek and let Izzy wipe it away. He couldn’t find anything else to say besides, “Thank you, Isabelle.”

“Anything for you, big brother. I'm serious, you deserve this more than anyone,” Izzy said with a kiss to his cheek as the song ended. She nudged him towards Magnus with a smile as she offered a hand to Clary. 

Alec walked straight to Magnus and kissed him softly. He knew that Magnus had done the majority of the planning for this dance. It was the one thing about the wedding that Magnus had questioned throughout the entire process. “Thank you, this day has been perfect.”

Magnus’ smile was blinding as he leaned in for another kiss and Alec let the music surround them as they started dancing together. Alec never could have imagined his life ending up this way. He never pictured a wedding day without his mother and father there, controlling the entire affair, maybe even controlling who he married. No matter how long it took and the struggle that everyone went through, Alec knew that it had been absolutely worth the wait.


End file.
